Why the Hardest Battles Create the Strongest Leaders Feat. DR. DOUGLAS FAIR, MD, MS, FAAP

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Guest: Dr. Douglas Fair, Pediatric Oncologist & Director of the Solid Tumor Program, Primary Children’s Hospital

💛 Episode Summary:

Today’s episode is deeply personal. Nicole sits down with Dr. Douglas Fair, a renowned pediatric oncologist and Associate Professor at the University of Utah—who also happens to be the doctor who walked beside Nicole’s family during one of their hardest chapters: her daughter Parker’s stage four kidney cancer diagnosis.

Dr. Fair isn’t just a doctor. He’s a guide, an advocate, and a healer in the truest sense. He leads with both cutting-edge science and deep humanity—directing survivorship, fertility preservation, and holistic care initiatives for children, teens, and young adults navigating cancer.

This conversation is a masterclass in purpose, resilience, and what it really means to serve others. Together, Nicole and Dr. Doug explore the emotional, spiritual, and human side of medicine—from sitting with grief to finding moments of joy on the pediatric oncology floor. It’s an episode full of heart, healing, and hope.

🩺 Topics We Cover:

• The Calling: How Dr. Fair knew pediatric oncology was his life’s purpose
• Redefining Healing: When healing isn’t the same as curing—and why that matters
• Navigating Grief & Trauma: How doctors hold pain without being consumed by it
• Human Moments: The joy, laughter, and love that exist even in life’s hardest chapters
• Spirituality & Faith: What pediatric oncology teaches about belief and the human soul
• Resilience: The quiet strength and courage of children in the fight of their lives
• Legacy: What Dr. Fair hopes to leave behind—and what these young patients have taught him about life, purpose, and service

🌱 Key Takeaways:

• Purpose is born in the fire. The most meaningful work is often forged in pain.
• Healing isn’t always curing. Sometimes it’s presence, peace, or laughter in the darkest hour.
• Children are our greatest teachers. Their resilience and honesty reveal what truly matters.
• You can hold grief and joy in the same breath. And both are sacred.
• Every life—no matter how short—has purpose.

🔗 Resources & Mentions:

• Primary Children’s Hospital – Solid Tumor Program
• University of Utah – Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Faculty
• Support for Childhood Cancer Survivors
• Fertility Preservation in Pediatric Oncology

📞 Support & Advocacy:

• Stupid Cancer (Young Adult Cancer Support): stupidcancer.org
• The National Children's Cancer Society: 800-532-6459 | thenccs.org
• American Childhood Cancer Organization: acco.org

💬 Connect With Us:

If this episode touched your heart, please share it with someone walking through their own storm, not just cancer. Subscribe, leave a review, and join our growing community of purpose-driven souls over on Instagram @glowwildpodcast.

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